The Jehu Reed house was hidden in plain sight, right at the intersection of Bowers Beach Rd and Route One (Bay Rd) in Little Heaven, Delaware. This landmark and historic building was often overlooked by people who passed it, whether driving by daily or just once a year for vacation. The house itself had a rich history and, very, unfortunately, faced imminent demolition in July 2017.

The Jehu Reed House is on the National Registry of Historic Places, and when the bulldozers moved in, we lost yet another piece of the First State's incredible history. Luckily, several Delaware photographers have recognized the significance of the house, and in an effort to preserve its history, have extensively photographed the mansion and its grounds. Come check out the natural beauty of this abandoned mansion in Delaware.

The property where the house once stood belonged to the related Newell-Sipple-Reed families beginning in

1685.

The original house was constructed in 1771, for Henry Newell. Jehu M. Reed's father took over the residence in 1827, and in 1868 the house was expanded for Jehu M. Reed. Mr. Reed is best known for advancements in agricultural science, and he may have been the first to plant a peach orchard in the United States, right on this property.

The Mansion's architecture is unique, too.

It is an excellent example of the rural Mid-Atlantic style that blended Georgian and Italianate and Victorian plantation houses. Originally, the house was a two-and-a-half-story home, and upper floors and additional bays were added over the years. The house was expanded several times to keep up with Jehu Reed's extravagant lifestyle and agricultural ventures. At one point, there was a rooftop observatory, but that was gone by the 1930s.

The Reed Estate once included 250 acres of farmland.

Reed turned the property into a profitable farm with his entrepreneurial agriculture methods, and the house had several barns, stables, storage buildings, and milk houses while it was in use.

You can see how the interior of the building had fallen into disrepair toward the end.

It's hard to believe that the Mansion was occupied as recently as in the year 2000, as reported by the University of Delaware.

These photos of the interior are part of Tyler Capanna's attempt to preserve this gorgeous structure.

The floorboards and walls have collapsed, but there are still remnants of the lives that lived in these hallowed halls.

Interestingly, it almost seems as if the previous residents just up and left!

These National Geographic magazines are dated in the 1990s, and they were just left when the mansion was abandoned. The current owner, Jeff Pardee, would have ">

_blank">loved to restore the mansion, but the funds were impossible to come by.

Looking at the mansion, it's easy to imagine its past as a grand estate.

Though it was overgrown and in disrepair, it was still an impressive piece of Delaware's history, and you can tell it was once the most important tract of land in the area.

The ivy and vines that wind up the walls of the Jehu Reed house add to the mystery of the building, and help it blend in with the surrounding landscape.

You can see more of Tyler's photos of the interior and exterior here.

Sadly, right before demolition, the home was significantly damaged by a Nor'Easter, and a front wall collapsed.

This historic abandoned mansion in Delaware, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, is now but a mere memory, captured only in photographs.

In a state full of history, it's sad to see something once so grand taking a fall.

The Jehu Reed house is not the only abandoned mansion in Delaware, of course. Bancroft Mills is perhaps the most well know, but we even have an abandoned amusement park that's turned into a regular park! What are your favorite abandoned places in the First State? Are there any that we absolutely must check out?